Wide Open Skies
by Salazarfalcon
Summary: Where it begins. Rei's new, Takao hates math, and Max has a weakness for Oreos. Kai just wants everyone to get out of his house. R&B UNIVERSE. Prequel to 'Rhythm and Bounce' and 'Game'.


Wide Open Skies

DISCLAIMER: ….No.

Summary: Where it begins. Rei's new, Takao hates math, and Max has a weakness for Oreos. Kai just wants everyone to get out of his house. R&B UNIVERSE. Prequel to 'Rhythm and Bounce' and 'Game'.

* * *

If Takao had had a choice, Ms. Aizawa would never darken his doorway again. The woman was dark, dismal, and clawed, and basically scared the living daylights out of all those who encountered her. Add to that the unpleasant thought of getting his most recent math test back…Takao Kinomiya didn't want to be here.

"Hey, Ta-kun, check it out!"

From his left, Max leaned over and nudged him in the ribs.

An unfamiliar boy walked in behind their teacher, uniformed, his unbelievably long hair braided and swishing behind him. Gold eyes surveyed the class curiously, open but still reserving judgment. Ever the friendly one, Max sent him a wide smile and a wave; the boy blinked, before finally smiling in response and raising a hand.

Almost instantly, murmurs began to flood the room, and Ms. Aizawa raised her voice to quiet them down.

"Quiet, class! Quiet! Yes, that means you, Kinomiya." She glowered, and Takao stuck his tongue out at her. "As you can all see, we have a new student with us today. This is Rei Kon, who just transferred here from China. Please make him feel welcome. Kon, introduce yourself to the class, and find a seat so that we can start class." 'Rei' inclined his head and stepped forward, lacing his fingers behind his back.

"Hello, I'm Rei. Sorry if I'm not as talkative as I could be; I flew in this morning and I'm jet lagged as all hell." He bowed with a flourish and glanced around the room. Excitedly, Max and Takao gestured to the seat to Takao's right: empty. Rei blinked again, before nodding and approaching to sit in the offered seat.

As class began, Takao scribbled kinetically on a piece of paper, folded it, and tossed it onto the new boy's desk.

**Hi! My name's Takao Kinomiya, and the kid next to me is Max Mizuhara. What made you decide to transfer here of all places?**

Rei read the note quickly, uncapped a pen to reply, before tossing it back.

**Nice to meet you guys, thanks for offering me the seat; I was afraid I was going to have to ask somebody. I actually came here for a few reasons. I come from a really tiny village, and in the last few generations it's sort of become tradition to go out and see the world as a teenager. Aside from that, I'm here for a very good friend of mine who I haven't seen in person in years.**

**Does your friend go here or something?**

**No, but he lives in this city. I figured I'd take the opportunity to visit him and see what a city school was like at the same time.**

"Kinomiya!"

Takao flinched.

"Stop corrupting him and quit passing notes in my class! Your inattention is why your scores are so bad."

Takao dropped his head onto the desk just in time to see Max suddenly find the ceiling fascinating and Rei begin to smile.

…sigh.

* * *

"Yeeeeeeah, it's lunchtime! No more math class, tiiiiiiiime for lunch!" Takao sang out, shoving his books into his bag and pulling out his lunchbox. The bell rang, and Max got to his feet and pulled a few notes out of his wallet. "Oh, Maxie! You're gettin' bread?"

"Yep, usually do," the blonde boy replied.

"I'll trade you some of my cookies if you'll grab me a curry bun!" This proposition was made complete with waggling eyebrows. "Grandpa packed Oreos!"

"Well, I'm sold. You've got a deal!"

Rei watched this exchange quietly, an amused light cast in his golden eyes.

"Rei…" Max spoke up, surveying the new boy and switching topics, "Do you not have lunch?" Rei looked up, his desk empty except for his notebook and pencil.

"I barely had time to shove all my stuff into the place I'm staying in, and I haven't changed any more money yet. It's cool though, I'll eat after school when I go home."

At this, both boys looked completely scandalized.

"But that's FOUR hours from now!" Max protested.

"Yeah, dude. That's like…death! Torture!"

Rei snorted.

"I've had a plane ride from hell, four hours are nothing. It's not a big deal—"

"You like curry buns? I'll grab you one too. They're super tasty~" A bounce in his step, Max was out the door before Rei could say a single word. The Chinese boy blinked, slightly bewildered, and Takao flapped a hand at him

"Don't bother sayin' no, Maxie won't listen to you," Takao commented, "Not his style."

"…I can see that," Rei said, finally.

"So, what do you do for fun? I mean, now that we don't have to pass notes and stuff. Hobbies, that sort of thing?" Takao perched on his desk precariously. Now that the teacher was gone, he was relaxed, pulling chips out of his lunch bag and munching on them.

"Well…like I said, the village is REALLY small. So we don't have video games and stuff like that. But I ride horses, when I get the chance."

"Oh, seriously? I've hardly even seen a horse, even though it's pretty popular around here," Takao commented. Rei nodded, fiddling with his pencil.

"Yeah. My friend that I mentioned before is actually keeping my horse for me. Has for the last few years thanks to certain circumstances. But I still got to keep my groove with some of the village ponies. Stout little Mongolian suckers; cute as hell, but snippy and feisty," Rei mused, smiling absently. "So you've never actually ridden before? That's surprising, it really seems like that's The Sport around here."

"Yeah, always has been. I think because of all the green that's still left around here. Decent amount of space, small city."

Takao stopped talking when Max returned, several bags of bread in his hands. Almost immediately, he and Takao traded bread for cookies, and the blonde tossed a bun to Rei, who caught it easily.

"I can pay you back for it once I change some money-"

"Eh, whatever. The Pit over there never pays me back, so it's cool. As long as you like 'em, I'll be happy." Curiously, Rei ripped open the package and with no small amount of hesitation took a bite, only to be overwhelmed by the taste of curry, chicken, and bread.

"Holy crap, that is spectacular."

Max settled back down in his desk and unwrapped his own bread, a barbeque pork bun, and began to munch contentedly.

"So Rei, you said your friend was keeping your horse? Why don't you have it?" Takao asked, and Rei took another bite.

"At the time, I didn't have anywhere to keep him. He belonged to my friend in the first place, but we suited each other more, so I adopted him," Rei explained, "It broke my heart to have to leave him. I haven't seen the beastie in about three years, I hope he hasn't forgotten me."

"Your friend sounds really nice," Max interjected, reading between the lines of that statement, "Horses aren't cheap. Your friend must be really nice." Almost imperceptibly, Rei's eyes softened, and he nodded.

"A lot of people would disagree with you on that, and they wouldn't quite be wrong. He's not very nice. Not nice most of the time, but with the capacity to be very kind."

* * *

"Holy shit Rei, which way'd the hurricane go?" Kai muttered, peering over the top of a pile of boxes to watch Rei try and fold his shirts, which he'd used to wrap around and protect his computer. The boy scowled at him.

"Ha ha, very funny. Hurricane Hell-Move headed that-a-way, towards the chicken coop. Jesus Christ in the foothills, where did I get so much crap?" Rei complained, glancing around briefly to examine his erected box barricade, before sighing. Kai shrugged, and Rei glared, surveying his friend.

The tall, slender boy's eyes were a startling red, so red that they were reminiscent of blood, and he currently wore a pair of jeans and a black sleeveless button-up that collared out. The outfit would have been neat and immaculate, save for the tan dust smudges and fur that stuck to it. Built neither bulkily nor excessively scrawny, he seemed to hit a happy medium. He was currently carrying a cardboard box on his shoulder, and the moment Rei saw it, he groaned.

"Oh no. Please tell me that that is not another box. Another box is really the last thing I need in my life."

"…sorry to disappoint," Kai replied, setting it down next to what would have been the bed, but was instead a very extensive pile of boxes. "Where exactly are you planning on sleeping tonight? Last time I checked, cardboard wasn't a medium for a blanket or mattress."

"You. Not helpful," Rei's disembodied voice floated out of his self-sentenced enclosure, "Just set it somewhere. Anywhere. If I can't clean off the bed by tonight, I'll sleep on my laundry. Or a couch or something." Kai snorted.

"I still say you would have gotten more done if you had started this earlier instead of playing with Monster for the last three hours. …I didn't say I BLAMED you," he added when Rei shot him yet another glare, "I'm just saying that you wouldn't be worrying about where to sleep if you'd started earlier." Rei had about three inches on his friend, and Kai stepped around the box pile to lift the top one off, rummaging through it without hesitation. "Oi, this is clothes. Want me to start hanging?"

Rei glanced up, surveyed the contents of the box, and nodded.

"If you wouldn't mind. At least the kitchen's done."

"Oh, speaking of kitchens, did you eat anything today? I know that we got snacks when I picked you up at the airport this morning, but I don't remember you eating an actual meal," Kai spoke up suddenly, turning away from Rei to study his closet VERY carefully. The other boy suppressed a smile, noting the lack of eye contact. Leave it to Kai to be embarrassed over being concerned.

"I would have eaten when I got back, but I met a few people in my class today. One of them found out that I wasn't planning to eat during lunch period and bought me some curry bread," Rei said, "I think I'll make something for tomorrow that can be shareable. They seem like very nice people." He got to his feet and approached Kai, peering around him to look him in the face. "They're a little loud, and a little insensitive. But they offered me a seat, and made good conversation."

"…good," Kai finally replied. His face was unreadable, and Rei could ALMOST see the thoughts running through his head. If only he hadn't been separated from him for the last three years, he might have seen exactly.

It had been a strange experience, stepping off the plane at five that morning and seeing his friend for the first time in such a long period. He had recognized him immediately, but knew instantly that he'd changed, from the way he'd held himself to his physical appearance to his manner of speaking. Rei knew that he had changed too. Gone were the baby faces and the childish figures. However, Kai's death glares remained the same, as had his sense of humor as he'd almost instantly reached over and gave Rei's ponytail a gentle yank, wrapping the black strands firmly around his hand, and within a half hour it felt like they'd never been apart.

"Is this weird for you?" Rei asked. "I mean, having someone here. I know this is your guest house and everything, but the only people to ever stay in it were business guests and such. Is it really okay that I stay here?" Kai had always been slightly isolated and found it hard to interact comfortably with others, and while Rei knew that he was his good friend, he still felt the need to ask. To give him the option to say whatever he wanted.

There was nothing to fear, however. The instant the words were out of his mouth, Kai had leveled a steady, scarlet stink-eye at him.

"…you're kidding, right? I wouldn't have offered it to you if I had any reservations about it. And I don't…mind you being here," he said carefully, maintaining a slightly aggravated, grumpy tone, "….I like having you live here." _You might make it feel a little more like home._ A telling pink began to creep up his cheeks, bypassing the blue shark fins that were tattooed on the sides of his face and settling just under his eyes. Rei smiled, moving a little closer and patting the middle of his back. He'd grown his hair out, the silver bangs framing his face and the rest was tied back in a ponytail that rested just below his shoulders. This was a fact that surprised Rei; he hadn't ever considered Kai as the type to want to maintain long hair. Then again, he maintained everything else under his care with dedication, so maybe he shouldn't have been so surprised. "I still don't like people. But if it's you, it's okay."

Rei wondered just how much it took him to say that; quite a bit, if one judged embarrassment by how spectacularly interesting the ceiling was.

His lips tilted up, and he turned his head, staring around at the boxes and the bags and the STUFF everywhere.

"Hey. I stopped by the grocery earlier on the way home. Let's give up on unpacking for a while, I think tonight calls for cookies."

And with that, he was out the door and down the stairs, just in time to hear Kai's protested,

"But you don't have anywhere to SLEEP. And one in the morning is NOT the proper time for cookie making!"

Rei pleaded selective deafness and happily ignored him, smiling wider when he heard steps behind him on the stairs and swear-filled grumbling all the way down.

* * *

Rei was slowly getting used to this routine, as much as he'd deny that he was a predictable person. Weekdays at school, late afternoons and evenings with Kai, taking care of the barn, and weekends doing whatever he pleased. He had quickly become rather tight with Max and Takao, finding the two other boys amiable and pleasant, if occasionally overly excitable in the endearing sort of way.

Both of them had been horrified to discover that Rei was an entire year older than either of them (the horror!) due to the expected and completely unneeded learning curve that the Japanese education system had thought he would need.

"Oi, you listening? Rei!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Spaced out a little bit, there," the Chinese boy apologized, glancing up to meet Max's blue eyes. "What was the question?"

"I asked if some day this week we could study at your place. You know, for the math test on Friday. You've been over to Ta-kun's house, and mine too, but we've never seen your house."

Rei mulled this over in his head, furrowing his eyebrows. It was true, over the past two months, he'd spent a sizable amount of time with his new friends, but hadn't considered bringing them over. He supposed that if he had to think about it, he'd been making an effort to keep school life and life-life separate. Kai hadn't been kidding when he'd said that he wasn't a people person, preferring to interact with others as little as possible save certain people, and Rei wasn't quite sure how much freedom he had, considering that technically he was a guest in Kai's home.

Admittedly, he was living in the neighboring guest house which, aside from being nearly unused was situated next door to Kai's estate.

"I actually would need to ask."

"Ask? I thought you said you were living by yourself," Max said, voice free from accusation or negativity, though coming from anyone else the words may have sounded condemning. From him, however, they contained only curiosity, for which Rei was grateful.

"I am. But I'm staying in the guest house of my friend that I told you about, and I wouldn't be comfortable having people over if he wasn't okay with it." Despite having arrived two months ago, the house didn't feel quite like home yet. In fact, it was in Kai's home that he spent more time, or in the barn.

Considering Rei's words, Max finally nodded.

"Makes sense. You don't wanna do something that'd make him mad or anything. I'd still like to meet your horse, though."

Unconsciously, Rei's golden eyes softened at the mention of Monster. He hadn't realized just how much he had missed that horse, although it seemed that every day for the last three years, he'd thought about just that fact. He was just as affectionate and playful as Rei remembered him, but bigger, having grown into the still gangly frame that he'd last seen. Kai had maintained his training, but ended up admitting while trying to hide a reluctant smile under his hand, that Rei had always had a closer connection with him.

"I'll ask," Rei finally said, looking up. To be honest, he didn't really think that Kai would care very much. He'd care in that he'd want to know what was going on, but as far as objecting, Rei sincerely doubted it. The two of them kept slightly different schedules, allowing for plenty of time to spend together but not so much that they'd get on each others' nerves, and that was how he liked it.

* * *

Snapping the clip of his helmet, Kai gave himself an easy boost up, settling gently onto Azrael's broad back. The draft mix turned his head and flicked his ears at him, and Kai responded with a pat on the withers. He was dressed down that day and wearing jeans, sitting bareback atop his mount. As it was, Az lacked both a saddle and bridle; the throatlatch on his blue halter was clipped, the lead rope replaced with a simple set of reins to attach to the side rings.

"How's Azzie doing?" Rei asked from the fence, watching curiously. Kai shifted slightly and gave a gentle nudge behind the girth; the massive horse glanced at him in confusion. He repeated the motion, only to be rewarded this time with a step away from the pressure.

"Good boy," Kai praised, reaching forward to scratch his neck, "Surprisingly relaxed, actually. I wasn't sure what to expect from him, but he was good under saddle as well. I guess he just needed a refresher course. I don't think he knows many leg aids though, just the basics."

In truth, the gargantuan bay was a ten year old product of the PMU industry, shafted from home to home until Kai had run into him by chance and adopted him. The scarlet-eyed boy liked to try and play the role of cold rich boy, and in all honesty he did a good job of it in most aspects. However, everyone had at least one facet of them that served as the proverbial soft and squishy underbelly, and for Kai, that facet was horses. Rei had come home from school to find his friend coaxing Azrael out of the trailer with a crooning tone the tabloids would give anything to be able to write out and a bucket of sweet feed.

Smiling, Rei reached out a hand to pat Az's large, velvet muzzle, fingertips rubbing the snip of white that graced it.

"You're a very good boy, aren'tcha? Someone who had you loved you and taught you what they could, na?" he cooed, smile widening when pointed ears flicked towards him and the horse took a step forward. "Whoever named you Azrael had a pretty good sense of irony," Rei shot a pointed glance to Kai, the guilty party, who nevertheless shrugged guiltlessly.

"Beats Cupcake. My GOD that woman was a pain in the neck."

"Still, AZRAEL? Really, Kai? The big guy's a marshmallow, and you name him after the angel of death?"

Another shrug.

"I repeat, beats Cupcake. Besides, you seem to have had little trouble in finding suitable nicknames for him. Right, Azzie?"

"Not the point."

"Totally the point," Kai retorted almost childishly, raising an eyebrow. Gathering his reins, he made a clucking noise with his tongue. Azrael began to walk along the fence line, taking large, quick strides. Eager to please, and eager to go. Squeezing slightly with his legs, he urged Az into a trot, sitting softly to the unusually choppy gait. Rei watched carefully, knowing that while Kai was focusing on how Az felt and responded to his aids, he couldn't see how his movements looked.

Circle to the right, and Rei spoke up.

"Does he feel a little weird to you? He seems a little weak on that side."

"Yeah. I think whoever had him last kept OTTBs and rode him like one. A bit of lunging should strengthen up that side, I think." Kai said, "Time to try a canter." He made a soft kissing noise and squeezed to ask for a left lead canter; Azrael's ears flipped back and stayed back, but didn't react except to trot faster. Kai asked again, more persistently, and the silky black tail swished in irritation. He asked again, screwing asking for the lead and squeezing with both heels, and Az abruptly lowered his head and bucked, sending the scarlet-eyed boy flying over his head.

Az skittered sideways and finally stopped at the far side of the paddock, whites of his eyes showing.

"Are you okay?" Rei asked, slipping through the fence to kneel down by his friend, who was already scrambling to his feet, "I thought he cantered fine with the saddle…"

"I'm alright, just startled me a little," Kai replied gruffly, dusting off his pants, "He WAS fine. I don't know what got into him. When I rode him, he didn't want to pick up that lead, but he did, and he didn't buck at all. Who knows? " Kai turned and approached his horse, who stared at him warily and began to back away from him. "Easy, easy. It's alright, don't run away from me. It's okay." His voice lowered to a soft, velvety croon, and he was able to reach out and take the reins that were still looped around Azrael's neck. "Good boy. Easy…" The giant draft snorted slightly and Kai scratched his face, touching the soft muzzle and scratching up his forehead, fingers gently rubbing the base of his ears. He had realized the second he hit the ground that if he were using a bridle instead of a halter, he might not have gone off so easily, but hindsight was hindsight. "Could you hold him for me?" he asked Rei.

"Sure," the other boy said, stepping forward and taking the reins; Kai boosted himself back up sitting quietly for a few moments and giving the horse a pat on the withers. "Want me to get a bridle for him?"

"Nah, he's fine. He was doing fine without it until now. I'll give it another try, and then take him on in. No need to fry his brain."

Kai gathered his reins and Rei took his position by the fence again to watch.

* * *

"Ne…"

"Hmmm?"

It was a rare moment. Kai was flopped on his stomach on the top of Rei's bed; Rei himself was sitting on his back, pressing a frozen washcloth to the back of his friend's neck. Kai tensed when he felt the cold but gave up after several minutes of weak glaring. He'd certainly gotten Az to pick up his canter but in the process had gotten tossed again, this time whacking his neck and shoulder into a fence post. Rei had stepped in then, ordering Kai to sit down and mounted up, keeping the horse to a walk to cool him down.

Persistence was important and they both knew it, but they also both knew that there was a point at which it was better to just call it quits for a bit.

Kai had been frustrated but not angry, he'd managed to hose Azrael down and give him his treats before Rei had caught him rubbing at his neck.

Thus they were now like this.

"Would you care if I had Max and Takao over here sometime this week?"

Kai would have raised his head to look at him if Rei's hand hadn't rested on the back of his skull to keep him from moving too much. Had it been anyone else, he wouldn't have stood for the physical contact, much less being sat on. They both knew that Rei was sitting on him because he was allowing it, despite the Chinese boy's experience in martial arts. It was a system that had never been spoken aloud but had been put in place since what seemed like forever: Kai wouldn't physically lash out at him, and Rei wouldn't use his skills to try and force Kai to do what he wanted. The only other person with that privilege was Tala. While it seemed like something that should be common sense, in Kai's world, common sense had rarely existed.

"Not really," he finally answered, "It's your house."

"Yeah, but…technically it's YOURS. And I'd want them to meet Monster, which would mean them coming into the barn."

Kai remained quiet, forcing his muscles to relax against the pervading cold of the washcloth.

"It's okay to say no," Rei said, almost surprised to realize that he was completely sincere despite his desires to have his new friends over. "If you say no, I'll listen."

"…" Kai closed his eyes and pressed his face into the pillow, feeling Rei's fingers running through his hair. He had been completely honest when he said that he wasn't someone who enjoyed the company of the vast majority of people, while Rei was much more social, a more open person. He'd been doing everything in his power to avoid thinking about the upcoming trials against Voltaire, and despite his solitary nature, having Rei around was beneficial for him in more ways than one. Despite everything and whatever people thought or said about him, Kai cared very much about what the people he cared for thought or felt. He was content in the knowledge that his friend had found people he liked so quickly, because Rei was a people person. Rei respected what he wanted, and in turn, Kai found (rather to his shock much of the time) that he wanted to make the other boy happy.

Even if it meant having a couple of brats running around the property.

"Yeah, sure," he said, shoving down the warmth that traveled up his spine when Rei leaned down, gently touching his cheek to Kai's tattooed one, a feather light brushing of skin on skin.

"Thank you," the other boy said, straightening back up to hold the cold cloth again before it slipped off. "I appreciate it."

"…hn."

* * *

"Holy. Freaking. Crap." Takao said several days later, staring awestruck at the wrought-iron gates of the Hiwatari Estate. Next to him, Max merely nodded, drinking in the rolling hills and green pastures and well-maintained woodened fences enforced with hot wire. "Rei lives here? HERE? This is like the freaking Taj Mahal!" If he'd been shocked when Max's dad had dropped them off at the beginning of the street so that Rei could let them in, it was nothing compared to how he was feeling now.

"Hey! Over here!" A familiar voice called out, and Rei jogged up to them from behind. "Oh good, you're both wearing pants."

"R-Rei, you really live here?" Max asked, and Rei smiled sheepishly.

"My place is a little farther back, the red building that didn't have gates. This is the private estate, where all the horses are kept, and the main house. Hold on a second, lemme get the gate." Stepping forward, Rei tapped a red button on the post. "Hey, Roger. Could you open the gates for me, please? I have my guests with me."

"Ahh, hello Master Kon. Master Hiwatari did say that you'd be bringing guests by." Roger's voice crackled just a bit from the speaker next to the button, and without a single creak, the gates opened. "Have fun."

"Thanks, Rog. Is Kai around?"

"He's on the grounds somewhere, but more detailed than that, I haven't a clue."

"Alrighty, thanks much," Rei turned to his friends, still smiling. "I know it's a little gratuitous; Kai didn't have anything to do with that. He actually toned it down a lot, threw out the gargoyles and Greek statues. I think there might still be a gargoyle SOMEWHERE, probably the one with the stupid face. I think Kai said that it reminded him of Boris' face when he decked him in the jaw…" Rei trailed off, seeing blank expressions. "Ahahaha, don't worry. It's not as scary as it seems."

They walked through the gates, and Rei gestured towards the barn.

"This way~ I can't wait for you guys to meet Monster."

"This place is amazing," Max said, staring around at everything, "I can't believe you can actually come out here whenever you want. It's fantastic."

"For real," Takao followed up, grey eyes wide.

Rei led them into the barn.

"This is the barn. About half the horses are outside right now and come in at night, while a few stay outside all the time."

A smallish grey mare stuck her head out of her stall, whickering curiously at them, snuffling at Takao as he walked by. The boy jumped, not expecting the touch, and stared at her.

"You can pet her," Rei said, smiling slightly at the boy's dumbstruck expression, "That's Cloud. She likes people a lot."

"…hi," the navy-haired boy said cautiously, reaching out and tentatively patting the horse on the nose, gaining confidence when the world didn't explode and beginning to pet her cheeks and neck. "She's cute. And snuggly. I wasn't expecting horses to be so much like pets. I thought they'd be more…I don't know."

"More like vehicles and less like companions," Rei continued for him quietly, smiling at how quickly Takao had taken to Cloud. Both boys seemed less tense, less worried about being sentenced to death if they stepped wrong. "Some places treat them like that, but not here."

"Wow, this one is HUGE!" Max exclaimed, moving down the aisle to stand in front of Azrael's stall, staring. Rei laughed.

"Yeeeeeah. That's Azrael. Or Azzie, as we've taken to calling him."

"Where'd he come from?"

"He's a rescue. There's an industry for certain medications that keeps horses pregnant in order to use the urine for meds. Az came out of that, and bounced from home to home. Kai found him and couldn't resist," Rei commented, walking further down the aisle. "Aaaaaaand here's Monstie!"

Almost immediately, a large blue-grey head popped out of the stall. Monster was a massive Hanoverian gelding, cheerful and blue roan everywhere. A white blaze spread over the front of his face, and his mane and tail were white as well. He would have been dignified if not for the fact that almost immediately he'd lowered his head and begun to lick Rei's arm. The boy snorted.

"Hi, you. I only saw you yesterday, big guy." He lifted his head just in time to see a familiar figure slip out of the tack room and into a stall. "…So there you are," he muttered quietly, knowing that Kai was probably trying to avoid the whole thing but couldn't quite stay away, whether out of wariness or curiosity Rei couldn't be sure. Rei was torn briefly between letting him continue surveying from the shadows or to draw attention to him. He'd certainly be aggravated if Rei called him on it, but on the other hand, there were worse things to be aggravated by. Finally, he spoke up. "I see you over there," he called out, smiling sheepishly when heard an irritated swearing.

Max and Takao blinked, startled when suddenly, Kai draped himself over the stall wall, arms crossed and scowling.

"Was that necessary?"

"It is when you're skulking about like an overprotective ninja," Rei retorted, suppressing a snort when Kai flipped him off.

"No need to be a smartass," Kai replied, rolling his eyes and disappearing for a moment before exiting the stall to walk down the aisle, stopping several meters away from them.

"Kai, this is Max Mizuhara and Takao Kinomiya. Guys, this is Kai Hiwatari. He's the owner of this place, and a very close friend of mine."

For a period of time, everyone was silent, Kai surveying the two younger boys as if sizing them up, Max and Takao looking as if they weren't quite sure what to do, subdued by the knowledge that this person was the proverbial "master" of this place. Finally, Takao visibly gathered his courage and stepped forward, holding out his hand.

"…hi! It's nice to meet you."

Kai stared blankly at the offered hand before finally reaching out to grasp it, giving it a quick shake before abruptly letting it go. He stayed silent however, a gesture that could be mistaken for simple coldness that was in essence his way of responding to a situation that he wasn't quite comfortable with.

"Thank you for letting us come here," Max piped up, taking a step as well and holding out his hand to receive a curt shake.

"Rei. What exactly are you planning on doing?" he finally asked.

"…I was thinking of showing them how to groom, and then taking out a couple of the horses to give them a lesson. Is that okay?" They had discussed this beforehand and Kai had given a reluctant okay, but Rei thought it best to ask again, just in case. Kai's gaze traveled to Max. When Kai had let his hand go, he'd backed up slightly to lean against a stall door. The inhabitant of said stall immediately popped his head out, nudging at the unfamiliar boy's shoulder. Max jumped slightly at the contact and turned around, before reaching out and unhesitatingly giving the chestnut's muzzle a pat.

"…that's fine," Kai answered, his scrutiny going completely unnoticed. He looked up and down the aisle, thinking. "Use Cloud and Happy."

Rei blinked, before he smiled and nodded.

"Got it. You gonna stick around?"

"I'll be around if I'm needed, but you can do what you want."

And with that, he strode off, turning the corner until he was out of sight. Once he was gone, Rei shook his head.

"You worry too much," he muttered after him, before turning to his friends, who had watched the exchange quietly.

"That was worried?" Takao asked, blinking, "The dude's like a rock."

"He's pretty easy once you get how he rolls," Rei replied, "You didn't make too terrible an impression on him. As far as Kai goes, he left pretty relaxed."

"How do you figure?" Max asked, still contentedly petting the horse who was completely content to remain still and be petted. Raising an eyebrow, Rei pointed right at him.

"You, especially."

"…me?"

"And Takao-kun as well. You were both courteous. Plus, he wouldn't have let you use Happy if he was uncomfortable with it. Kai's a logical guy, but when it comes to his horses, he's moved by his emotions." Rei gestured to the horse that Max was patting, his smile widening, "Max, meet Happy."

"So he was testing us?"

"Nope. More like extra credit, if you've got to make a comparison," The Chinese boy commented, walking over to Monster's stall and removing his halter from the hook, slipping it over his horse's head, fluffing out his forelock. He opened the door and led him out, stopping him in the aisle to hook the crossties to the side rings. Digging around in his tack box, Rei grabbed his box brush. "Alright! Gather round, boys, time for your first lesson."

* * *

Happy was suddenly much, much larger than he'd seemed in the stall.

"….uh. Rei? Are you sure I can do this? Maybe something a bit smaller…" Max muttered, tentatively holding the reins while Rei fastened the straps on the horse's boots. He straightened up, crossing his arms.

"You'll be fine. I know he seems a little big, but he's practically bombproof. Don't worry, he'll take care of you."

A set of ties away, Takao was waiting with Cloud, the little gray mare had her head up and ears pricked forward, eager to go. Takao seemed to have no fear at all, which may have had to do either with the fact that Cloud was a significant bit smaller, especially when compared to Happy and Monster, or it could have been pride and ego, or it could have been simply that he had no fear. Max envied him.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea…"

"Max. Stop talking for a second," Rei demanded. "Trust me, you'll be fine. Happy's a gentle horse and he has a good disposition, and he likes you. If you can't trust him yet, trust me." Blue eyes moved from Rei to the horse standing calmly next to him. Whereas Cloud was shifting eagerly from foot to foot, Happy seemed to sense his rider's insecurity and stood stock still, watching him. Finally, Max scratched those pointed, chestnut ears.

"Okay. I'm still a little scared. But…there's no reason to give up before I try. Right?"

"Precisely."

"Oooooi, you slowpokes ready to go? Me and Cloud have been standing here forever!" Takao called, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Max and Rei locked eyes, and Max finally let out a small, almost shaky smile.

"I'm good. Let's go, before Ta-kun has a heart attack."

"Cheers," Rei replied, approaching Monster. He'd bridled him first and put his halter on over it; he now removed the halter and gathered his reins. "Follow behind me. We're going over to that field over there, the one with nothing in it. Okay?"

When all three horses were in the paddock, Rei clipped the gate chain and looped his reins around Monster's neck to avoid him stepping on them, telling his horse to stand while he went and helped Max and Takao mount up.

"Alrighty," he said, "Loop your reins around Cloud's neck and hold them. Left foot into the stirrup, pull yourself up gently and bring your right leg over. Gentle, gentle. You wouldn't want someone crashing down on your back, neither does she," he directed, and Takao clumsily found himself in the saddle. Rei adjusted his stirrups to fit him. "She'll listen to a lot of voice commands, tell her 'walk' first, then cluck and give her just a little bit of pressure with your legs. No kicking, got it?" Rei showed him how to hold his reins. "Keep her on the rail. If you want to scooch her to the left, a little bit of pressure with the left rein, support with the right on her neck. If you want her to go to the right, slight pressure with the right rein, support with the left. She's pretty forgiving, but make sure not to yank on her. It's a lot, but you got it?"

"Got it. …I think," Takao added as an afterthought, and hesitantly said, "…walk? Walk, Cloud." She flicked her ears back at him as if debating whether or not to actually listen to him. The second time he said it, she began walking. Rei watched him carefully for a few moments, before doing the same for Max. The blonde boy was much more tentative than his friend, but nevertheless found himself walking along the rail.

Rei easily swung up into Monster's saddle, the blue roan practically jogging in enthusiasm to get going.

"Mizuhara! Shorten your left rein up one more knot, that's why he's weaving like a drunk!"

Startled, Rei turned to see Kai standing by the fence, watching carefully. Sharply inclining his head, Kai ducked through the fence to walk into the middle of the ring.

"Kinomiya, you need to keep more contact on Cloud. She's fresh and hotter than Happy, you need to keep her collected."

"What's collected?" the boy called back, "I've never even sat butt on a horse before."

Kai almost, ALMOST rolled his eyes.

"You feel how her strides are really long right now, and she feels like she's one step away from breaking gait? Gather your reins and keep contact with your knees on her sides, not your heels. Straighten up, no slouching! Mizuhara, stop Happy for a second! Sit back and tell him whoa." Kai jogged over when the large chestnut stopped.

"Hiwatari-san?" Max asked, wide-eyed. Kai reached up and took his wrists, adjusting his hand position.

"Your hands are a bit too far back. Try and keep them here on his withers. With Happy, you don't need a lot of pressure."

"Am I being too rough with him?" the younger boy's voice was slightly worried, and Kai gruffly shook his head, patting Happy on the cheek.

"No. But if you keep your hands back so far, you won't have much leeway when you need him to stop. Keep them forward with a little tighter rein so that when you want him to slow down or stop, all you need to do is sponge him down with your hands." Kai reached up again, demonstrating to the younger boy a sponging motion with his hands, before tapping the small of his back. Max jumped, startled. "And for god's sake, straighten up. You're on a good horse, and you're doing decently on him. You look like you're heading to the executioner's block."

Max couldn't help it, he laughed.

"Relax. You being relaxed will let him relax, and you'll both get along better."

As if embarrassed by giving anything even remotely resembling a pep talk, Kai backed away, making a 'go on' gesture with his hands.

"Well, will wonders never cease," Rei commented quietly, circling around his friend in the middle on the paddock. "Who would have thought?"

Kai glared at him.

"I don't know what you're implying."

"You know exactly what I'm implying."

"But you're wrong. More wrong than you hooking up with Tala."

"Except that if anyone on the planet was capable of hooking up with that prickly bastard, it'd be you. Still wrong?"

"Your very existence is wrong," Kai growled, "Everything about you is wrong. Wrong is your middle name."

"Well your middle name is Dmitri."

"I'm half Russian, what the hell do you expect? What does my middle name have to do with anything?"

"What do my hypothetical hookups with Tala –which will never in a thousand years occur and for which I am incredibly grateful- have to do with the fact that you seem incapable of admitting that you don't mind teaching?" Rei retorted, dodging the rough swat that Kai half-heartedly aimed at his leg.

"I just don't want my horses being ruined."

Rei snorted.

"Oh don't play me, Kai. If you were worried about that, you wouldn't be letting them stay on them and you know it. If you want to know what I think-" Rei ignored the muttered,

"Who said that I cared what you think, ever?"

"-I think that you don't think they're so bad."

"Well that I think that you're a presumptuous idiot and that you need to control Monster before he runs off with you." Kai smirked, "Keep your heels down and make sure that you keep your turning leg and your bending leg separate."

"I think I want to change his name to Bendy McBendersons. What the hell'd you do while I was gone, turn him into a rubber band?"

"It's called dressage training, sensitivity, and flexibility. It wouldn't be an issue if you'd keep your leg cues more distinct."

"…ass," Rei muttered under his breath, nevertheless adjusting his position, and rolling his eyes.

"Don't talk about my ass, it disturbs me," Kai shot back, smirk widening, "Makes me wonder just what sort of delinquent hoodlum I've allowed into my delicate, sheltered existence. I'm just a helpless little rich boy, you know."

"Ha. Ha. Ha," Rei laughed sarcastically, "I hope that Creeper!Me shows up in your dreams and you will regret it so bad."

An undignified snort, and Kai was walking away, stopping to correct Takao's leg position along the way, and Rei's lips began to quirk up into an unmistakable smile. For a brief moment, he felt like he was a spectator watching a particularly wonderful play, wondering if what he was seeing was chance or foreshadowing.

* * *

"Oh man, I feel like I'm gonna die," Takao groaned, flopping onto the springy grass and rubbing at his legs. "I didn't know it'd hurt so bad."

"That's how it goes. The more you do it, the less it'll hurt," Rei replied.

In contrast to Takao, the Chinese boy was sitting up straight against the fence, his friend rolling around on his back. Max looked like a cat that had found a sun spot, eyes closed and a serene expression on his face.

"I didn't…expect Hiwatari-san to come out and teach us," the blonde boy finally spoke up, "He seemed like he didn't want us here at all when we first met him. But he's not so bad. He didn't seem mean or anything. Just… cold."

"That's Kai for you," Rei murmured in reply, absently twirling the ends of his ponytail. "He's an odd guy, but he's a good guy. People tend to write him off as a big jerk when they first meet him because he's sort of unsociable, but he's different when you see him in his element."

"…I think that if I lived here, I'd have people over all the time," Takao spoke up, plucking a blade of grass and running it between his fingers, "A good party place."

"To be honest, Kai sort of hates it here," Rei said quietly, staring up at the sky, "He has a lot of really bad memories of this place. But he also has really good ones, too. Sometimes I don't know just what he likes or hates, and sometimes he doesn't know either. But we both know that he loves horses, so he stays." He knew he was rambling and cut himself off. "He's having a rough time of it, and I think having something else to focus on is good for him."

Rei shook his head and suddenly slumped over, rolling, undignified, onto the grass to tilt his face up to feel the sun.

* * *

Clad only in a pair of pajama pants and a tank top, Kai slipped out the front door, his bare feet padding on the grass. The moon was nearly full, giving a silver sheen to the fence posts and buildings, and even the birds were silent. The only voices to be heard were the crickets. The boy's hair was down and swishing around his shoulder blades, and despite the cool night, Kai didn't shiver. Living in Russia did that, and spending five years in Moscow in a building with plenty of windows and few windowpanes did much for one's temperature tolerance.

He found himself unable to sleep. This wasn't a terribly uncommon occurrence, but it was more common for him to wake up from nightmares than it was for him to not be able to doze off.

Maybe he'd feel better if he took a walk, maybe clear his head.

Vaulting up onto the top of a fencepost, he stared out into the rolling hill, giving off a hue that was nearly blue in the moonlight. He could see the dark shapes in the distance that were his horses, and absently, his lips tilted up into a soft smile. They must all be sleeping, as he should be. Rei was surely sleeping and even Roger, the only other human on the property, would have been in bed hours ago.

Inhale, exhale.

In with the crisp, cool air of spring, out with the poison that sometimes he couldn't help but feel was taking him over.

Inhale, exhale.

In with the moonlight, in with the sounds and silences of the night, in with familiarity and calm and memories of home. Out with the stress, out with the anger and resentment, out with the pain and panic and anxiety.

Inhale, exhale.

Kai felt the tension leave his frame and he repeated his makeshift meditation prayer, letting his eyes fall shut. The idea of going back inside was unappealing and somehow confining. For several minutes, he remained where he was and focused on breathing, not the packets and folders of business dealings, evidence to hand over, letterheads and contracts. The thought of dealing with those nearly made his stomach turn.

Kai turned his thoughts to his friend, likely sleeping soundly in the house next door. Rei, who he'd known since he was eight. Rei, one of the few people that Kai could honestly say he liked, a number of which he could currently count on one hand. Rei, who'd seen some of his worst moments and yet didn't know the half of it. Rei, who'd probably do just fine on his math test the next day. Rei, smart-alecky and sarcastic and far too accepting for his own good.

Rei, one of his two trusted friends.

"Did somebody say my name?"

"….?" Giving an undignified squawk, Kai jumped and inadvertently fell off his perch, landing on the grass with a soft fwump.

"Are you getting rusty? I haven't been able to sneak up on you in years."

Kai glared, eyebrow twitching when Rei clambered up to steal his spot.

"Shut up. I was thinking, and you've got your creepy cat sneaking thing going on."

"….creepy cat sneaking thing? You're calling my ancestral technique my 'creepy cat sneaking thing'?" Rei protested, affronted. "I'll have you know that that technique has been in my village for over three-thousand years—"

"Yeah, and it should stay in your village," Kai interrupted, "It was creepy three-thousand years ago, and it's creepy now." Rei scowled at him, and the other boy shrugged, before changing the subject. "Your creepiness aside, what are you doing here? It's three in the goddamn morning."

"I could say the same for you. Last I checked we were in the same time zone."

"And last I checked I keep my gates locked at night."

"Have you ever met me?" Rei asked, raising an eyebrow, and Kai sighed, smirking slightly.

"Point, my bad. For a second, I totally forgot that you were a barbarian." He dodged a whap on the head from the Chinese boy and curled up on the grass, hearing it gently rustle in his ears. In between the slats on the fence, the moon made a broad stripe of silver light on his face, and Kai turned over to meet golden eyes with red. "I was just thinking. I couldn't sleep."

"I couldn't either. Wanted to see if Monstie was still awake." Rei slid down to sit next to Kai, and for several moments, they were companionably silent. "What were you thinking about?"

"…lots of stuff."

"Related to the court case?"

"…" Kai averted his gaze.

"Kai. It's five months from now. Please…don't make yourself sick over it, if this is what's keeping you from sleeping. Think about things that are good."

"You say it like it's so easy," Kai muttered bitterly, eyes shuttered, "You say it like it should be second nature to think positively. Like—"

"Please shut up," the other boy snapped, scooting closer and draping his arm over Kai's frame. The boy tensed and unconsciously curled up further, "There are tons of good things that you should be thinking about."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that you have people who care about you. I care, and so does Tala even though he isn't close, and I know that Roger worries about you too. Why else would the man have dealt with Lord Asshole for all those years?"

Kai remained silent.

"You have plenty to care for. Your horses love you, and I know that you'll think I'm really stupid but I know that you really made an impact on Max and Takao. Especially Max. He had a lot of really kind and spot-on things to say about you. So next time you say that you can't think of anything good, I'm going to hit you." Rei leaned closer until his knee brushed the tip of Kai's nose, fingertips running patterns on his shoulders. "You'll do this. You'll get through it in one piece, I promise. You sure as hell won't be doing this alone."

"But you can't be here forever, your village-"

"-will be just fine. I can be here as long as I damn well please and there's nothing anyone can do about it," Rei growled, "I came here with the intention of making this a long-term thing. Maybe not forever, but there is not a chance in a frozen hell of my letting you do this crap by yourself. You're strong, but you're just one fucking kid, just like me."

"And together, we're just two fucking kids,"

"Two fucking kids are stronger than just one," Rei finished seamlessly, relieved when he heard an amused snort come from the figure next to him.

"We've got some really screwed up logic, huh?" Kai asked, rolling over to face the moon and stars, casually flinging an arm over Rei's lap.

"Maybe, but it's logic that works. So, pardon my French, share your shit. I can take some of it."

There was no vocal response, but Kai's fingers griping onto his pant leg said as much as his silence, and Rei sighed.

"Okay, okay. I'll lay off a little. But so help me, I'm going nowhere, so get used to it. I know that you're used to people leaving. But—"

"Oh for the love of—I'm not THAT stupid," Kai interjected, scowling, "Enough with the sappy mushy crap, it's too damn early for it." Nevertheless, color began to rise in his cheeks. "You're too stupidly accepting."

"And you, my friend, are too stupidly loyal and stupidly kind-hearted. So it works out."

Kai sighed and let his eyes fall shut, relaxing.

"Kai. If you're going to go to sleep, get up and go to bed. It's probably not the best idea to sleep outside," Rei prodded him vocally then with his index finger, receiving only a few muffled swear words in his general direction. "Kaaaaaaaaai. Get up, Kai." A very distinct,

"Cock off," was mumbled at him, and the black-haired boy exhaled, less exasperated than he'd like to be.

"Fine, fine. Guess I don't have a choice in the matter,"

With that, Rei shifted and flopped over to curl up on his side, brushing shoulders with his friend. His best friend. It was warm enough to not need a blanket, but clear and cool and smelled like spring. Rei breathed in and out, letting the calm relax him, closing his eyes. A sudden touch startled him briefly, and Rei opened his eyes long enough to glance up and see a very familiar, white-emblazoned roan face watching him.

"Hey, Monstie. How're you doing?" he asked quietly, and the horse lowered his head to snuffle at his cheek, before turning attention to the already dozing Kai, lipping gently at the boy's neck and shoulder, whuffing when Kai reached out in his sleep and patted his nose. "Did we wake you up? Sorry, darlin', we're gonna be taking up space here for the night. I don't think you mind."

And the last thing Rei remembered before waking the next morning with an intense neck ache and a grumbling Kai was the moon overhead, steadily shining silver.


End file.
